Topic: Official Virtual Console Mondays Thread

[JonLeung]

I agree with Pale here.  Now I can play the best Zelda on the Wii!  I still look forward to Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Kirby: Super Star, but I don't think anything is better than ALttP.  But I think all the games I just mentioned are worthy for being in single-game weeks, if there had to be any at all, that is.

I was disappointed by the lack of A Link To The Past on the Collectors Edition Disc (likely because the GBA version was available at the time).

What's the price of ALttP?  I seem to recall that in Japan they could charge 900 Points for it.

I'm still surprised by the lack of advertising of VC games.  I haven't been in game stores much but I would've thought I would hear of VC games in flyers or a brochure or something.  If a game is worth being the only game available for a week, it should be worth mentioning.  Or do they think people wouldn't respond to old games being deliberately held back, made more evident in the advertising?  "COMING JULY 1, 2007...THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME...THE UNCUT, "RED-BLOOD" VERSION!  A GAME YOU PLAYED MULTIPLE TIMES, AS EARLY AS NINE YEARS AGO. BE THE FIRST TO DOWNLOAD IT THIS SUMMER!"

[Kairon]

LTTP is the only game this week because no third-party wants to launch against it.

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Arbok]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
The combined libraries of the SNES, NES, N64, TGFX and Sgenesis is easily 2-3,000 games. If Nintendo keeps up the release rate of four per week even (which they haven't lived up to in a while now...) then we'll have around 800 games in 4 years.

Let me rephrase that: the Wii's console life will almost be over and we will still not have scratched the surface of the retro game libraries.

Let's face it though, I can bet that most third parties won't be on board for the virtual console, while I doubt a majority of the licensed games will also be present. That trims down the number quite a bit when you only count titles from Nintendo, Hudson, Sega, Konami and Capcom in that mix. Hopefully more third parties will be on board later, but to expect the Virtual console to cover even a majority of all of the games to have ever hit the five systems seems way too hopeful.

[vudu]

::sigh::

Quote
Sega should be adding some games to Virtual Console sometime this afternoon -- stay tuned.

Now will everyone kindly STFU?

[NWR_pap64]

Quote
Originally posted by: Arbok

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
The combined libraries of the SNES, NES, N64, TGFX and Sgenesis is easily 2-3,000 games. If Nintendo keeps up the release rate of four per week even (which they haven't lived up to in a while now...) then we'll have around 800 games in 4 years.

Let me rephrase that: the Wii's console life will almost be over and we will still not have scratched the surface of the retro game libraries.

Let's face it though, I can bet that most third parties won't be on board for the virtual console, while I doubt a majority of the licensed games will also be present. That trims down the number quite a bit when you only count titles from Nintendo, Hudson, Sega, Konami and Capcom in that mix. Hopefully more third parties will be on board later, but to expect the Virtual console to cover even a majority of all of the games to have ever hit the five systems seems way too hopeful.

Even if you take away the third party games there are still hundreds of great games. The N64 alone is home of hundreds of killer apps and some of the best games ever. So Nintendo alone has tons of great games to chose from.

Like S_B, I don't understand why Nintendo is set on only releasing one to three games per week. If what they want is a killer app to get all the attention, they can release it alongside some smaller ones. They did it with the Christmas update, so its not like they can't do it often.

[Ian Sane]

"I'd assume the 40 hours to port one VC game were mostly used for testing to make sure the emulator really handles everything correctly and doesn't introduce new bugs."

Maybe it has something to do with Nintendo's decision to make every game's controls custom.  Instead of universal controller mapping where A on the SNES controller is always the same button they do everything custom.  Aside from the fact that allowing the player to map the controller as they wish is an obviously better solution it also might be part of the reason why the release schedule is so slim.  Having to do custom controls for every game is extra work for practically no reason and thus eats up time.

You can argue that the current method makes it easier for really DUMB people that would be confused by universal controller mapping but it is incredibly inefficient.  I'm a programmer and if I suggested something like what Nintendo is doing to with the VC to my boss he would freak out.

[Kairon]

Quote
Originally posted by: vudu
::sigh::

Quote
Sega should be adding some games to Virtual Console sometime this afternoon -- stay tuned.

Now will everyone kindly STFU?

Oh sega...

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[ShyGuy]

Does the Xbox Live arcade receive this much hate?

[Arbok]

Quote
Originally posted by: pap64
Even if you take away the third party games there are still hundreds of great games.

Hundreds is different then thousands when talking about the virtual console over the Wii's entire lifespan.

Quote
Originally posted by: pap64
The N64 alone is home of hundreds of killer apps and some of the best games ever. So Nintendo alone has tons of great games to chose from.

Okay, I love the N64, but hundreds of killer apps? There were around 350 N64 games released in the states. Of those, around 60 (63 was my count, but I will just say around) could be released to the virtual console from the current companies attached... so some people are grossly overstating the available library. Large enough to support more than 1-2 games a week? Of course, but let's not try to spin this into a situation where we would be robbed of 1,000s of potentional games with the current release schedule... when no signs point to those even being possible.  

[Pale]

My post was meant to be tongue in cheek, I hope you all realize.

[Caliban]

Quote
Originally posted by: JonLeung
What's the price of ALttP?  I seem to recall that in Japan they could charge 900 Points for it.

I think it was the normal 800 points for SNES games...*checks to confirm*...yup it is 800 points.

[The Omen]

Oh for god sake....go plug in your old consoles if you don't like the VC releases.  Nintendo fans complain more than Linux users.  

[Kairon]

Quote
Originally posted by: The Omen
Nintendo fans complain more than Linux users.

Does that make us better?

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Artimus]

Quote
Originally posted by: ShyGuy
Does the Xbox Live arcade receive this much hate?

No, but the only new release it's had in like 4 months is some crappy $10 tank game nobody wants.

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: Arbok
Okay, I love the N64, but hundreds of killer apps? There were around 350 N64 games released in the states. Of those, around 60 (63 was my count, but I will just say around) could be released to the virtual console from the current companies attached... so some people are grossly overstating the available library. Large enough to support more than 1-2 games a week? Of course, but let's not try to spin this into a situation where we would be robbed of 1,000s of potentional games with the current release schedule... when no signs point to those even being possible.

I don't expect anywhere near ALL of those games to hit the VC, but I expect original VC content to start showing up at some point by the end of this year and I'd imagine THAT will snuff out any hope most of the retro games will have when there are new games using the Wiimote to do some very interesting things.

They need to hurry up and get more games out. Even 4 per week is pretty damn sad and won't accumulate to very much by the time REAL VC competition shows up.

[Arbok]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
I don't expect anywhere near ALL of those games to hit the VC, but I expect original VC content to start showing up at some point by the end of this year and I'd imagine THAT will snuff out any hope most of the retro games will have when there are new games using the Wiimote to do some very interesting things.

They need to hurry up and get more games out. Even 4 per week is pretty damn sad and won't accumulate to very much by the time REAL VC competition shows up.

You could make the same arguement for retail Wii games versus Virtual Console ones with that standpoint. Especially given that we have no idea what type of prices original content might come with, or even what type of shape it might take on the system. Hell, the original content prices might make the virtual console ones seem like a baragin in contrast, but we don't know and probably shouldn't be using that as a reason that the virtual console "has to hurry up or it will be too late soon".

[Crimm]

Quote
Originally posted by: ShyGuy
Does the Xbox Live arcade receive this much hate?

Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting got quite a lot of heat for its laggy online play.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Quote
Originally posted by: Crimm

Quote
Originally posted by: ShyGuy
Does the Xbox Live arcade receive this much hate?

Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting got quite a lot of heat for its laggy online play.

In the spirit of the "bigger, faster, harder" hardware mentality, players should be blamed for not having better broadband connections.  Really, they're not living up to hardware manufacturer's fantasy specs.

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: Arbok we don't know and probably shouldn't be using that as a reason that the virtual console "has to hurry up or it will be too late soon".

This is the Wii's biggest drought period: the time right after launch. THIS is the time when VC games are the absolute MOST likely to be purchased, not later down the line when players have a plethora of NEW titles offering new gaming experiences to choose from.

Retro games are only a worthwhile pursuit if players don't have anything else to buy and play. Nintendo should really get the lead out and push retro games out the door before there are enough new games that players stop bothering with retro games.

I would never have bought TJ&E if not for the fact that there was nothing out to play. Once we have regular game releases, I know I'll never touch a retro game again.

[vherub]

One of the disappoints, for me, in having a slow release plan for the VC, is it limits the chances of getting VC games with scoreboards or online play added later. It also hurts the chances of localizing games that never were released in english or in the US (all those sweet rpgs, for instance).
At the current pace, and with the slate of games seen so far, both online-additions and never released games are less and less llikely of being played. For me, the promise of the VC is not in repurchasing games I already played- which may be nice. But rather to play those games I never played because they are now expensive on the secondhand market, or because my system (ntsc) never saw their release.

I'd like two paths: every nes, snes, genesis and n64 rpg ever released.
Being able to play my favorite games either against online opponents or being able to upload my high schores and beat times in a achievement type system.

Getting 1 VC does not signal this will not happen, it just seems like a warning that nintendo is not as interested in these developments as I am.

[JonLeung]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
Once we have regular game releases, I know I'll never touch a retro game again.

WTF?!?  Never, ever?  Is that an ultimatum?  o_0  Are you mad?

Games should be like music or cars...there shouldn't be anything inferior about older games.

And I seem to recall you particularly wanting to play Super Mario RPG, and now you're going to consider that not worth touching?  You say "pfff" to games that stand the test of time?

Then, sir, I say "pfff" to you.

[SixthAngel]

Don't assume you are even close to the majority of Wii owners Smash.  VC games will still be purchased long after new games have come out even though you won't be buying them.

[Arbok]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
Retro games are only a worthwhile pursuit if players don't have anything else to buy and play. Nintendo should really get the lead out and push retro games out the door before there are enough new games that players stop bothering with retro games.

And that would explain why the NES titles that were directly ported to the GBA sold so well later in the handheld's life?

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
Once we have regular game releases, I know I'll never touch a retro game again.

Please, are you trying to tell me that if they released Smash Bros (N64) in 2008 you wouldn't get it?

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: JonLeung WTF?!?  Never, ever?  Is that an ultimatum?  o_0  Are you mad?

Games should be like music or cars...there shouldn't be anything inferior about older games.

If another game as good as Wii Sports lands on the Wii, yeah, safe to say all retro games will absolutely pale in comparison and I won't want to buy them. The Wii has kept its promise about offering players new and engaging experiences. I'll never be able to play a regular sports game again after Wii Sports. I'll never be able to play other FPSs after the Wii FPSs.

When a Wii-based adventure game comes out, it'll likely kill retro adventure games for me. A Wii-based RPG will kill older RPGs, etc.

There will come a time for me when holding a controller and pushing buttons will just feel stale and...wrong. Before news of the Wii, gaming was dying for me because it just felt like the same sh*t over and over again, like I had done it all before. After sports, I was a believer, and as much as I may have loved these games at the time I played them, they won't do for me what new Wii games are doing.

Quote
And I seem to recall you particularly wanting to play Super Mario RPG, and now you're going to consider that not worth touching?  You say "pfff" to games that stand the test of time?

Actually, I changed my mind on that. I came to the brutal realization that turn-based RPGs aren't games so much as plot ransoms: you pay for the plot with your time, performing the same action repeatedly so that your stats are high enough to see the next bit of storyline. I've heard Mario RPG is excellent, but at this point, I'm not willing to risk my $8 when I'll likely get tired of the combat very quickly.

[wandering]

Quote
I would never have bought TJ&E if not for the fact that there was nothing out to play.

It seems Nintendo's plan is working, then....